Happiest Mother's Day
by samanthajax
Summary: Meredith and her children. Post Derek's death.


**Happiest Mother's Day**

**_Putting this up a little early. I hope you enjoy it!_**

* * *

_"Meredith,"_ Riggs murmurs, running his fingers along the smooth underside of her chin. "Can we -" he angles his hips just right, brushing up against that certain spot - "go back to my place?" His fingers are in her hair, the fine strands knotted around his fingers. He kisses her cheek, inches his lips towards her mouth. Meredith is tempted to give into him again. _So tempted._

He starts to kiss her but she quickly turns her face. He stares at her in surprise. "Wait - was that a brush-off?" He asks. "Because it sort of felt like a brush-off."

She shakes her, offers him a gentle pat on the arm. "Oh, that was not a brush-off, Nathan. I just have to get home. It's Mother's Day. I need to be with my children. I think Zola's planning a little something for me."

She disentangles from him deliberately, making her feet move forward. "I could meet your kids!" he calls after her.

"Not today, Riggs," she replies. "They'll absolutely adore you, I am sure, but you can't meet them now. Today is our day - theirs and mine. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Grey... Happy Mother's Day."

Meredith leaves her office and hurries towards the hospital's exit. She receives waves and "see yas" from everyone she knows - which is basically everyone. They all seem to notice how happy she looks. For the first time since Derek's death, she is looking forward to something again - Mother's Day, with her three beloved children. _They are her whole world._

She rushes home, makes it through the door just as the neighborhood starts to truly rouse. The night shift was long and she's a bit tired, but never too tired for her kids. She feels so lucky to have them. Deep down, she'd always known she wanted to be a mother, but the idea had scared her. What if she became Ellis - incapable of giving or receiving love from her children? That thought had kept her fearful for years. It wasn't until she held Zola for the first time and Zola wrapped her chubby little arms around her neck, that she knew. She knew she was truly meant for motherhood. Loving those innocent babies was as natural as breathing.

Meredith sets her purse on the table in the foyer and walks through the house. She finds Zola holed up in the kitchen with the nanny, Gretchen. Zola is intent upon whatever she's doing. Meredith can't tell what it is with her little back turned.

"Hey, ZoZo," she calls to her eldest. "I'm home."

_"Mommy!"_ Zola cries out in surprise. "You can't come over here. I'm not ready yet!"

"Oh, sorry," she says. "I'll just go check on your brother and sister while you finish doing whatever it is you are doing."

"Okay," Zola calls over her shoulder, shielding her work from Meredith's shrewd view.

Meredith gives the nanny a little smirk and heads down the hall. She arrives at the nursery first. Ellie is fast asleep in dreamland, resting peacefully in the crib, her long black eyelashes fanning her cheek. Meredith just leans against the railing of the crib for awhile, watching her child slumber. Ellie looks more like Derek every day - from her full pink lips to her dark hair. She's going to be a heartbreaker just like her daddy was.

"Thank you, Derek," she whispers as she leans over to tuck the yellow blanket a little tighter around Ellie. "Thank you for this little girl, and the girl in the kitchen, and the boy down the hall. I really do have so much; even if I don't have you anymore. But I do feel you with me." She places her hand over her heart. "You're still here in every way that matters."

She carefully kisses Ellie's alabaster cheek and then heads for Bailey's room. The toddler is sleeping too, lying on his stomach as he always does. Meredith doesn't encourage it, but he ends up naturally in that position every night anyway.

She moves to his race car bed, lightly rubs his back. He stirs but doesn't awaken. She marvels at how much he looks like her - how much he _acts_ like her. She bought him a train set for Christmas and a cheap child's "doctor kit" and he barely touched the train. He spends half of every day walking around the house with his plastic stethoscope looped around his neck. He likes to listen to Meredith's heartbeat. She likes the closeness and the bonding time as he sits on her lap and tries to fix her up. Which he does. He heals her inside, just as all of her kids do. She's not nearly as dark and twisty now that they're here.

Meredith walks out of Bailey's room just as Zola comes skidding to a stop in front of her. Her mocha face is alight with happiness. "Mommy! Mommy!" She says. "It's ready! Your surprise is ready!"

Zola takes Meredith by the hand and leads her back down the long hallway. "Close your eyes," she says.

Meredith smiles and covers her eyes with her free hand as she allows Zola to help her navigate the room.

"Open them!" Zola says suddenly.

Meredith slides her hand free of her face and pops open her eyes. "What do you think?" Zola asks as Meredith takes in the sight. A homemade pink card rests beside a plate heaped with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fresh strawberries, and kiwi. There's also a tall glass of orange juice. Some of the sticky juice is sloshed into a puddle on the table but Meredith couldn't care less.

"ZoZo!" She exclaims. "Is this really all for me?"

"Yep," Zola replies. "I made most of it myself too! Gretchen only helped me cut the fruit."

"Thanks," Meredith says to Gretchen. Gretchen nods and slips out the door after waving goodbye to them.

"Sit down, Mommy, sit down and eat your Mother's Day breakfast!" Zola says.

"Okay, but that's a lot of food. Why don't you join me? You can have half of one of these sandwiches."

"Can I really?" Zola's brown eyes dance.

"Of course. The chef always has to test her own food."

They pull out their chairs and sit at the table side by side. Meredith splits the top sandwich in half and hands it to her daughter. Zola digs right in. _"Mmmm!"_

"Mmmm, indeed! Zola, this it the best PB&J I've ever had!" she enthuses.

Zola smiles. "I tried really hard to make it good."

"It shows. This is so nice. You're spoiling me."

"It's Mother's Day. You're supposed to get spoiled," Zola says sagely.

Meredith smiles, chewing a thoughtful bite before reaching for the card. She reads aloud, _"Thanks for being my mommy. My teacher says I'm real lucky to have you in my life and she is right! Happy Mother's Day. Love, Zola."_

Meredith's eyes mist. She reaches across the table and lays her hand gently atop Zola's. "Thank you for that, but I am the lucky one. I have the best children any mom could ever ask for."

Zola grins. She climbs off her chair and moves to Meredith. She hugs her mother as tightly as she possibly can. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too." She kisses the top of Zola's head. People have asked Meredith in the past how she can possibly love her adoptive child as much as she loves her biological ones. The question truly offends her. Of course she can love Zola just as much, and of course _she does!_

"Mommy, I want you to be happy."

"I am happy, ZoZo," Meredith answers.

"Even without Daddy?"

Meredith nods slowly. "Well, I have my children. You're Derek's gifts to me. I feel very close to him every day because I have the three of you in my life."

"Will you ever get married again?"

Meredith shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not." She pictures Nathan's handsome face in her mind but shakes the image away. "We'll see. But I promise you this. No one is ever going to replace your daddy Derek in my heart. He was the greatest man I've ever known and is the love of my life."

"Do you ever get sad since he's gone now?"

"Oh yes, I do. Sadness is a part of life; but you and your siblings give me a reason to go forward each day. I love you three so much." She hugs Zola to her side, presses another little kiss to her forehead.

"We love you too, Mommy. Happy Mother's Day."

"Oh, it's the happiest Mother's Day there ever was," Meredith agrees.


End file.
